Residents On Shortcut Want Road Blocked Off

August 1, 1985|By Steven Girardi, Staff writer

FORT LAUDERDALE — Residents of an exclusive Bayview Drive neighborhood called The Landings will meet tonight with a city traffic planner about their years-old complaint that the street has become a speedway.

The meeting, at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, will give residents a chance to voice their concerns to traffic planner Sayed Safavian.

Many of those residents want the city to close the small bridge on Bayview Avenue, a block north of Commercial Boulevard, that leads into their neighborhood.

They claim the street has become a popular shortcut for motorists trying to avoid crowded Federal Highway. They complain about the speed of the traffic and contend the narrow bridge is a safety hazard.

``This is not a throughway or commercial street. It is a residential street,`` said Carolyn Leeds of the 5300 block of Bayview Drive, a member of The Landings Residential Association Board of Directors. ``That`s the point.``

Leeds said the street should serve no more than 800 cars a day, which would allow two cars for each of the 400 homes. Instead, county traffic engineers have said about 17,000 cars a day use the road.

Closing the bridge would leave only one entrance and exit into the neighborhood, the one at Federal Highway and 62nd Street. And others have argued that the bridge should remain open to provide better access for police and emergency vehicles.

City Commissioner John Rodstrom Jr. said he doubts the city will ever close the bridge.